On January 17, 2011 the licensee's radiation safety officer called [the state] to advise that a portion of a shipment of radiological material to be used for medical purposes had not arrived at its intended destination. A package containing two doses of Thallium-201 of nominally 20 milliCi each was picked up by the
Texas licensee, Pan Handle Nuclear, on January 14, 2012 in Amarillo. However, the package showed signs of repaired damage and when inspected, the third dose of Thallium-201 was missing from the package. The manufacturer was alerted on the morning of January 16th and they subsequently contacted the carrier, regarding the package.
HazMat Personnel from [the shipping company] conducted a trace of their facilities associated with the transfer which resulted in the missing vial being identified as 'found' in the Memphis 'Over goods' holding area. Apparently, the package had become damaged early in the morning on January 14th during the shipping process such that one of the three vials had escaped the packaging. The damage to the package was noted and repaired, however an accurate count of the contents was not conducted and, contrary to standing instructions from the manufacturer, the package was forwarded to the intended recipient rather than being returned to the manufacturer.
The 'missing' vial was subsequently found on the same day later that morning, some hours after the package was processed through the Memphis hub. The vial was identified as hazardous based on the trefoil which appeared on the shielded and intact container and the manufacturer's name. It was isolated and placed into an over pack that same day. The slightly damaged, but intact shielded container was then returned to the manufacturer as of January 18, 2012 after it was determined to be the 'missing' third vial. Surveys of the returned vial conducted by the manufacturer showed that there was no external contamination on the shielded vial, there was no damage to the vial and all the expected material remained present.
Illinois Item Number: IL 12004